Vic Falls economy is hard on locals

Tourism is one of the main hopes for an economic revival, but in Victoria Falls it is bringing financial hardship to thousands of poor residents.

Primarily a US dollar economy, Victoria Falls attracts the rich and famous from all over the world. Alibaba founder Jack Ma, with a net worth of $37.4bn, was the most prominent visitor in 2017, and A-list celebrities such as US actor Will Smith are regulars.

Locals clamour for selfies to prove they have met the rich and famous, but the tourist economy that makes the town one of the most expensive in the country condemns them to widespread poverty.

Many landlords demand rent in US dollars, even though this is illegal tender, forcing local residents into makeshift homes and squatter camps.

Working for a VIP protection company, Themba Ncube, 43, often comes into contact with high-profile people, yet he lives with his wife and three children in a tent in one of the town's yet-to-be-developed residential parks.

"I can't afford to rent a house. That's why l decided to resort to a plastic tent. It is very sad because every now and then I'm required to move and pitch a new tent elsewhere," he said.

Ncube lives at BC847 Housing Scheme, where those who have bought land rent it out to desperate families like his.

"It is now difficult for me because I have developed a severe unknown disease," he said. "My spine is painful and my feet are always swollen and painful too. I struggle to stand for long hours or to walk, but being absent from work will cost me more."

His wife, Nomusa, has considered returning to their ancestral homeland, Matetsi in Lubangwe, but their village has no schools.

Next to their tent is a shack owned by a widow who moved in recently. She is a squatter with no arrangement with the landowner. "My husband died in a car accident early this year, leaving behind two children," she said. "I am a domestic worker and paying rent in foreign currency was too much for me. That's the reason I ended up occupying this land. I do not know the owner. Most of us occupy the areas without any approval. We are desperate."

Sibangilizwe Bhebhe ended here after being thrown out of the family home after an argument with his brother. He is unemployed but pays rent for his shack. "I pay Z$40 per month to stay here. There is no running water or toilets so we relieve ourselves behind Grace Mission Primary School," he said. "To get water, we walk to Chinotimba tank where water sometimes leaks."

Kundai Shumba relocated from Kwekwe, 600km away, believing it would be easier to find a job in Victoria Falls. "Life is difficult in this town and to add to that, there are elephants, buffalos and hyenas here. We live in fear as snakes and scorpions also find their way into our structures. I came with my four children and they have stopped going to school because I have failed to secure school fees and uniforms for them."

Others who cannot afford to live in Victoria Falls commute from rural areas. Chief Mvuthu, from Hwange, said the sudden influx of city dwellers had affected communal grazing land for livestock. "We cannot afford giving them land because we are only left with grazing land," he said.